Batting

AUBURNDALE, Fla. – The Gallaudet University baseball nearly pulled off another eye-opening upset of a nationally ranked team on Friday as the Bison lost 1-0 in eight innings to No. 25 Washington & Jefferson College in the first of two games at Lake Myrtle Park. The Bison (7-13) lost the second game 7-0 against the Presidents (6-4). GU went 3-4 during its spring break trip in Florida as part of the RussMatt Invitational.

Sophomore pitcher Brandon Holsworth (Beal City, Mich.) pitched a complete game in the first game of the doubleheader. Holsworth surrendered only two hits in eight innings and one run, the game-winner in the eighth, while he struck out seven batters. He gave up his first hit with two outs in the top of the sixth inning to Scott Liller, who had both hits for W&J in the win.

Holsworth got into trouble in the eighth as he started to lose control. He hit John Kutzfara, who was pinch-ran for when Cory Bauer came in, with one out. Bauer stole second base before Holsworth struck out Michael Beerman to give the Bison two outs in the top of the eighth. Holsworth then plunked Scott Brady to place runners on first and second base. Liller singled through the left side of the infield to score Bauer but Brady was out at third base as catcher Casey Hicks (Henderson, Nev.) threw down to third baseman Mitchell Bensman (Russia, Ohio) for the third and final out.

The Bison, the designated home team for the first game, went down in order in the bottom half of the eighth to end the game. Eddie Nogay (3-0) was credited with the complete game victory as he struck out eight Bison.

Gallaudet had three hits in the loss as Hicks, junior Chris Guinn (McLoud, Okla.) and freshman Ryan Rippy (Tullahoma, Tenn.) singled in the first game.

In the second game, the Presidents jumped out early on Rippy as they scored two runs in the second and three runs in the third. Washington & Jefferson later tacked on single runs in the fifth and sixth for insurance against a tired Gallaudet bullpen.

The Bison only recorded three hits off W&J starter Brian O'Neill (2-1) as he struck out nine batters in seven innings pitched. Seniors Tommy Barksdale (Brookeville, Md.), Jeremy Adams (Glenn Dale, Md.) and junior Marcus Smith (Baltimore, Md.) each had a single in the loss.

Gallaudet returns home to host Washington (Md.) College on Tuesday, March 26, for a nine-inning game at 3:30 p.m.